Creating prospects
In its work in Switzerland, HEKS/EPER targets groups of socially disadvantaged Swiss citizens and migrants who are affected by unequal treatment, discrimination and exclusion. The causes of social marginalization are diverse and complex and presumably arise from an accumulation of various problems. These are a low income and precarious employment, little or no knowledge of a national language, psycho-social baggage created by violence, war and displacement, mental and physical burdens following illness or addiction, social isolation or precarious living conditions. HEKS/EPER works actively to ensure that the affected people have access to education, work, government programmes and services. Inclusion is incumbent on society as a whole, however. This calls for open-mindedness as well as regulatory structures that ensure the right of social participation for all. This in turn implies that everyone has the same rights and opportunities and that factors such as gender, age, social background, nationality or religion do not give rise to discrimination.